RETAIL INDUSTRY RESEARCH

Small to midsize retailers (SMRs) have an advantage — size — and agility and nimbleness to consistently meet consumer needs. Or do they? This report describes some of the common capabilities that retailers possess in order to create and capitalize on agility to outperform the competitive field. This year we ask several IDC Retail Insights experts what they recommend small to midsize retailers do in several key functional competency areas.

The Retail Industry Leaders Association’s (RILA’s) emerging technology committee identifies five of the most futuristic trends, cutting-edge technologies, and how to create a culture of innovation in the workplace.

RETAIL GUEST EXPERT SERIES

A friend of mine recently placed an online order with a major retailer. Within seconds of clicking the button to confirm it, she realized it would be shipped to the wrong address. Having recently moved, she had neglected to update her shipping information in the account she’d had for years.

There is no greater imperative for today’s retailers than deepening brand loyalty. As such, they’re constantly evaluating how disruptive technologies can empower outstanding, differentiating customer experiences – the linchpin of the journey to digital transformation.

Retailers are under enormous pressure to provide better shopping experiences while remaining profitable. That has meant evaluating different technology platforms with the hope of improving the customer journey efficiently and cost-effectively. Yet most are scratching their heads at where to even begin.

With both Cyber Monday and Christmas fast approaching, expectations are that we will see the continued explosion of online shopping in the United States. Christmas 2015 exceeded all previous records with online sales rising nearly 13% in November and December compared to the year before, reaching a record $83 billion.

Ecommerce has long been the dominant disruptor in retail. But with the rise of mobile and always-on connectivity, everyone, at all times, is a potential consumer. But the biggest disruption today is coming from the demand side. The emergence of centennials – generally considered to be those born after 1997 – as an influential demographic is revolutionizing the way marketers engage with consumers, and leaving them in search of tools that capitalize on their digital literacy while building brand affinity, trust and, eventually, loyalty.

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The fraud landscape is rapidly changing and presents pervasive and growing threats for eCommerce merchants. The holiday season adds an additional layer of stress, with merchants scrambling to scale their operations for the massive influx of orders and the inevitable uptick in fraud.

Vendor compliance programs detect compliance problems and ultimately prevent them altogether, which has a critical impact on the supply chain. We connected with Greg Holder, CEO and founder of Compliance Networks, to learn more about how vendor compliance improves supply chain performance. Here’s what he had to say.

Managing eCommerce fraud is extremely challenging, leaving many merchants stuck between elevated exposures and disrupting valuable customer experiences. Going it alone means merchants must invest heavily in fraud detection tools, collaborate with third-party agencies, and dedicate numerous resources to mitigating fraud. A daunting task for sure. However, digging a little deeper, there is an even more troubling trend at play.

When an article is headlined 5 Interview Questions Every Recruiter Should Ask, it’s pretty much a guarantee I’m setting aside the next several minutes to read it. But before you click on this link to read the article I’m referencing, I implore you to not ask these five questions. Do not accept this article as a best practice — unless you want candidates to recreate the scene in the photo that accompanied the article. The candidate looks like she’s thinking, “Are you people kidding me?”

FEATURED RETAIL SOLUTIONS PROVIDERS

Global Technology Systems is the trusted expert in mobile power technology. GTS designs and manufactures high-performance batteries, chargers, and power management technologies for essential mobile devices. Millions of business professionals, public safety, government, and military worldwide rely on GTS to power mission critical communications and mobile computing applications. Founded in 2000, GTS is headquartered in Framingham, MA.

OPEX is dedicated to providing the highest quality products and service throughout the product life-cycle. We control all aspects of production. Every product is designed, engineered, manufactured, and tested in our U.S. facilities by our own dedicated employees.

Established in 1972, Honeywell Scanning and Mobility is a leading manufacturer of data collection and communication products designed specifically for mobile, on-site, and transaction processing applications.

For more than 30 years, Epson has delivered industry-leading point-of-service technology solutions to the world's leading retailers including printers, precision printing mechanisms, and digital image scanners.

NetSuite delivers a cloud-based, multi-channel retail management system that brings together NetSuite Retail Anywhere POS with eCommerce, CRM and marketing, merchandising and order management, financials, and warehouse management into a single, centrally-managed solution.

FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK

The New Year is almost here, which means the 2017 NRF BIG Show is almost here. The convention and expo, which will be held from January 15-17 at the Jacob K. Javits Convention Center in New York, promises to deliver “Innovations, Connections, Solutions.” I’ll skip the noise of the who, what, and when — you know you’re in for insightful sessions and game-changing technologies as well as we do. From a prediction standpoint, however, here’s what I think we’ll see at the 2017 BIG Show.

I can’t believe Thanksgiving is Thursday and that Black Friday, Small Business Saturday, and Cyber Monday are also around the corner. This year, shoppers will have more time to eat, drink, and be thankful since several retailers, including hh gregg, DSW, Home Goods, Home Depot, and more have decided to keep their doors closed on Thanksgiving in an effort to help their workforce (as well as their customers) spend more quality time with family and friends. Even the country’s largest mall, Mall of America, will remain closed on Thanksgiving.

President-Elect Donald Trump’s candidacy has left precisely zero room for indifference. Safely assuming you’ve had a pulse and a brain for the past 18 months, you’ve undoubtedly formed opinions about the man. It’s also safe to assume that many of those opinions are derived from his remarks on social and humanitarian issues. For the purposes of this column, forgive me for setting those aside. Let’s take an objective look at two of his proposals—immigration and tax reform—that might directly impact the business of retail.

We just wrapped up our inaugural Retailer Innovation Awards, and we could not be more excited to unveil the Winners and Finalists in a special report Matt Pillar’s penning for our January/February 2017 issue. To say that the number of thoughtful nominations far exceeded our expectations is an understatement — they were riddled with actionable data and quantifiable results from best of breed retailers both large and small. The competition was fierce, but we think you’ll agree that our Winners earned the title.

ABOUT INNOVATIVE RETAIL TECHNOLOGIES

Innovative Retail Technologies (formerly Integrated Solutions For Retailers) is the premier source for innovative yet pragmatic technology solutions in the retail industry. Our goal is to help retail executives make informed decisions about technology and operations solutions for every sales channel. The magazine and website provide insight on how retailers can achieve critical business objectives by integrating leading-edge solutions across the entire retail enterprise.

Innovative Retail Technologies covers the development, organization, and presentation of information necessary for IT and operations users as well as the entire C-suite. Readers are enriched with valuable information on innovation that can improve their businesses and make them more profitable. Please take a moment to join our community and discover the benefits of your free subscription and membership.

Small to midsize retailers (SMRs) have an advantage — size — and agility and nimbleness to consistently meet consumer needs. Or do they? This report describes some of the common capabilities that retailers possess in order to create and capitalize on agility to outperform the competitive field. This year we ask several IDC Retail Insights experts what they recommend small to midsize retailers do in several key functional competency areas.

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CURRENT RETAIL HEADLINES

Descartes Systems Group (Nasdaq:DSGX) (TSX:DSG), the global leader in uniting logistics-intensive businesses in commerce, and MyWebGrocer (MWG), the leading provider of ecommerce and digital marketing solutions to the grocery and Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) industries, have launched a combined solution that helps grocery retailers support the customer ecommerce experience from online purchase through home delivery.

FEATURED PRODUCTS

2D bar codes are becoming increasingly popular across a wide range of industries for a number of reasons. Some enterprises have a desire to capture large amounts of data, despite space constraints, while others are being required to read 2D bar codes due to government regulations or supplier mandates.

For retailers looking to improve the customer experience, Honeywell’s Captuvo SL22 series enterprise sled for the Apple® iPod touch® mobile digital device empowers sales associates by providing them with the tools needed to engage more closely with customers and increase sales floor conversions.

The Stratos™ 2700 from Honeywell is their first hybrid bioptic in-counter scanner, combining omnidirectional laser scanning and integrated area-imaging to provide a platform for bar code reading optimized for the checkout experience.

Solidifying Honeywell’s position as the leader in vehicle-mount computing, the Thor VM2 builds on the best-in-class Thor VM1 that was created specifically to address the unique challenges of supply chain applications.

The Granit™ 1910i industrial-grade area-imaging scanner is designed to withstand the varied demands that exist in harsh working environments. Featuring a custom built housing that is redefining the standard for scanner reliability, the IP65 rated 1910i is built to survive 5,000 3.3´(1 m) tumbles and 50 drops to concrete from 6.5´ (2 m) even at -22°F (-30°C).